The extension of the flexible working law is a welcome development for businesses up and down the country (Flexible hours for parents of under-17s, 6 April). As your article explains, "millions of parents with children up to the age of 16 will be able to request flexible working from their employers". This is a key milestone which has the potential to give the face of the UK workforce a much-needed lift. The only thing standing in its way is our fear of change.

Contrary to a number of business groups who have voiced concern "over the timing of the announcement", I believe that we are actually at an ideal juncture to take positive steps to overhaul our working culture. We would have to disagree with John Cridland, the CBI's deputy director general, who said, "we don't think now, in a recession, is the best time to implement it".

As the article outlines, flexible working can encompass a variety of arrangements, "from working from home, working part-time, working agreed hours over fewer days, term-time working to job-sharing". I would add that this fluidity is crucial to helping employees strike a better work-life balance. Its breadth will also touch millions of people's lives. As you report, "an extra 4.5 million parents will now have the right to ask for flexible working, in addition to the 6 million parents and carers already eligible".

The extension to flexible working law represents a significant progression for the UK workforce and one that will stand the economy in good stead during these turbulent times. When credit is sparse and competition fierce, the ingenuity and energy of staff can make the difference between surviving and thriving. These are qualities that are easily depleted by the stress of managing family commitments and heightened work pressures. I was recently perturbed to read news from the TUC that people are putting in record unpaid overtime to appear indispensable to their bosses. While this is understandable in the current economic conditions, if this trend continues it will entrench a culture that is unsustainable and potentially detrimental to long-term performance.

It's therefore great to hear first-hand how a shift in mentality towards flexible working can improve businesses. The article cites Damion Queva's Fathers Quarterly magazine. As the business evolved and Queva embraced flexible working, "he was rewarded with greater loyalty from his staff".

Fortunately, many other businesses are also waking up to this fact. A T-Mobile survey revealed that 65% of British office workers believe flexible working will be an inevitable feature of the future working world, reinforcing the point made by Sarah Williams-Gardener, director of Opportunity Now, that "the majority of workplaces are still designed around a mid-20th-century lifestyle, with an outdated approach to where, when and how work happens".

We as a company believe that having a highly engaged and motivated workforce is fundamental to achieving our goals, and one way to achieve this is to give people greater flexibility over how, where and when they work. Ultimately, this new legislation is an opportunity for economic growth and profitability and should be embraced by businesses.